Losing weight using elliptical trainer

Hi guys,

Ive recently bought a elliptical trainer machine (3 weeks ago tomorrow). Ive been using it every day since i bought it for 30 mins a day, according to the on screen display in that half hour im running between 13-17kms in that 30 min session but only burning 150ish calories? Not sure if thats right or not, but im dripping with sweat by the end of it lol.

I chose to go with the elliptical trainer because i have really bad problems with my knees and i have had 5 operations on both of my knees in the last 3-4 years, which has caused me to put on about 10-15 KGS in that time since i couldnt really do much exercise, i always use to be pretty fit and slim before the knee problems, so im looking to get back in shape.

Basically my question is how long would it be before i start seeing any weight loss on the scales? Since i started 3 weeks ago the scales havent changed at all, i still weight exactly what i did 3 weeks ago which is 95KGS. Im not really following any specific diets or anything im just trying to stay away from any bad and fast foods etc. (Probably consuming about 1000-1500 calories per day if that)

I know im not going to lose it quickly but i thought i would have seen some atleast slight changes on the scales in those 3 weeks.

Thanks in advance

EDIT: Just adding.... Could it be my poor eating habits causing me not to drop any weight? I NEVER have breakfast and quite often i dont even get time to have lunch at work so ill eat when i get home from work at about 4pm then again at about 9-10pm... Yep, usually only eat twice a day :\

The toughest thing for most people to understand is that weight loss is 20% gym, 80% diet. The first thing you need to do is pick up some protein bars so you can eat in those times you don't have time to get something. You should be eating about 6 meals a day with an emphasis on protein opposed to carbs/fats. You're not at a point where you need to ensure you're eating exactly a 40/40/20 macro but I would start writing down everything you eat in a food journal. It takes 3 seconds after each meal and you'll be shocked at your daily input once you see it on paper.

I know I cut out fast food and ate generally good food when i had time and once I started writing it all down, found it to be ion the area of 4,000 kcal per day. Now that I'm spreading out my meals over the course of the day, I know exactly what my calorie intake will be because I preportion meals and take them with me whether it be a protein shaker that i need to just add water to of Tupperware with chicken and veggies.

In short, keep up your exercise but put more of an emphasis on diet than elliptical if you're serious about losing weight... Oh, and you should ALWAYS eat breakfast! The reason you're not seeing results is because you're starving yourself all day then no doubt, gouging yourself at night with food. Terrible for weight loss... Wake up 15 minutes earlier and have a bowl of Multi-grain cheerios or 1/2 cup oats and a slice of turkey or two or a couple whole eggs then pack a protein shaker and some nuts for a 5 minute lunch. eat your last meal 3 hours before you go to bed and limit the carbohydrate intake on that meal. Do this, and you'll start seeing results on the scale...

150 calories. Are you sure that's right? I put my weight in (185lbs), time 30 mins and starting level and by the time im done im at about 360 calories burned. Mind you I gradually increase the level to 7 by the end. My speed hovers around 7.5 but it can get high as 9.0 at times. Are you sure your level (resistance) isnt too low?

Ive recently bought a elliptical trainer machine (3 weeks ago tomorrow). Ive been using it every day since i bought it for 30 mins a day, according to the on screen display in that half hour im running between 13-17kms in that 30 min session but only burning 150ish calories? Not sure if thats right or not, but im dripping with sweat by the end of it lol.

I chose to go with the elliptical trainer because i have really bad problems with my knees and i have had 5 operations on both of my knees in the last 3-4 years, which has caused me to put on about 10-15 KGS in that time since i couldnt really do much exercise, i always use to be pretty fit and slim before the knee problems, so im looking to get back in shape.

Basically my question is how long would it be before i start seeing any weight loss on the scales? Since i started 3 weeks ago the scales havent changed at all, i still weight exactly what i did 3 weeks ago which is 95KGS. Im not really following any specific diets or anything im just trying to stay away from any bad and fast foods etc. (Probably consuming about 1000-1500 calories per day if that)

I know im not going to lose it quickly but i thought i would have seen some atleast slight changes on the scales in those 3 weeks.

Thanks in advance

EDIT: Just adding.... Could it be my poor eating habits causing me not to drop any weight? I NEVER have breakfast and quite often i dont even get time to have lunch at work so ill eat when i get home from work at about 4pm then again at about 9-10pm... Yep, usually only eat twice a day :\

If you havent lost weight you are eating more than you think. Cardio can make you hungry so you might be consuming more canceling out the deficit from the cardio.

If you arent lifting you should start. Lifting will make your body look much better in the end. Read the sticky from wavelength, its a great place to start.

Lift 3x a week, consume 1g protein per lb of LBM and eat less till you drop the desired weight per week (1-2lbs).

Ive recently bought a elliptical trainer machine (3 weeks ago tomorrow). Ive been using it every day since i bought it for 30 mins a day, according to the on screen display in that half hour im running between 13-17kms in that 30 min session but only burning 150ish calories? Not sure if thats right or not, but im dripping with sweat by the end of it lol.

I chose to go with the elliptical trainer because i have really bad problems with my knees and i have had 5 operations on both of my knees in the last 3-4 years, which has caused me to put on about 10-15 KGS in that time since i couldnt really do much exercise, i always use to be pretty fit and slim before the knee problems, so im looking to get back in shape.

Basically my question is how long would it be before i start seeing any weight loss on the scales? Since i started 3 weeks ago the scales havent changed at all, i still weight exactly what i did 3 weeks ago which is 95KGS. Im not really following any specific diets or anything im just trying to stay away from any bad and fast foods etc. (Probably consuming about 1000-1500 calories per day if that)

I know im not going to lose it quickly but i thought i would have seen some atleast slight changes on the scales in those 3 weeks.

Thanks in advance

EDIT: Just adding.... Could it be my poor eating habits causing me not to drop any weight? I NEVER have breakfast and quite often i dont even get time to have lunch at work so ill eat when i get home from work at about 4pm then again at about 9-10pm... Yep, usually only eat twice a day :\

I agree with the poster who says to eat breakfast. They say it's the most important meal of the day for a reason. Are you not hungry, or do you just not have time? I always wake up ready to eat. hehehehe

As far as the calories burned, they are never accurate, or so I'm told. But 30 minutes is a good amount of cardio I would think.

Now I can't go back and check, but would like to know from the person who posted about the protein bars. What kinds are good and where do you get them?

Diet diet diet......watch the calories your taking in.Calories in vs calories out.Find your bmr/tdee and adjust calories to 500 below.And i would have to agree with post above i think that calorie counter is definatly off or your resistance is at a low level.Good luck!

Thanks for the info, I will check out GNC. We have no Costco here. So protein is really that important? I don't get much of it. Trying to lose fat and gain muscle here, but the losing of fat is really slow, and the muscle gaining, is happening, but slowly!

The toughest thing for most people to understand is that weight loss is 20% gym, 80% diet. The first thing you need to do is pick up some protein bars so you can eat in those times you don't have time to get something. You should be eating about 6 meals a day with an emphasis on protein opposed to carbs/fats. You're not at a point where you need to ensure you're eating exactly a 40/40/20 macro but I would start writing down everything you eat in a food journal. It takes 3 seconds after each meal and you'll be shocked at your daily input once you see it on paper.

Thanks, ive just downloaded a few apps for my iPhone to help me record what im eating and how many calories, so ill start that today

Originally Posted by lexdiamond20

150 calories. Are you sure that's right? I put my weight in (185lbs), time 30 mins and starting level and by the time im done im at about 360 calories burned. Mind you I gradually increase the level to 7 by the end. My speed hovers around 7.5 but it can get high as 9.0 at times. Are you sure your level (resistance) isnt too low?

Yeah i dont know, 150 seemed wrong to me aswell... Well i start at level 4 for the first 5 mins just to warm up then i gradually increased it every 5-10 mins, usually finish on about level 8-10

Originally Posted by GettingfitAgain

If you arent lifting you should start. Lifting will make your body look much better in the end. Read the sticky from wavelength, its a great place to start.

Lift 3x a week, consume 1g protein per lb of LBM and eat less till you drop the desired weight per week (1-2lbs).

I use to lift about 6-8 months ago when i was trying to lose weight then but i had an injury which prevents me from lifting now unless i get an operation and doctor said theres no guarantee that will fix it... Basically torn the cartlidge in my right rest and some other stuff which i cant remember what was said, so everytime i lift a decent amount of weight and then i put the weight down i get this really sharp shooting pain up and down my forearm from my wrist

Here are pics of the CT scan results if anyone is interested since i cant understand majority of the CT Scan results lol, pic was taken from my phone but still readable... WELL i cant post the picture of the scan because i have to have more than 30 posts...

Originally Posted by sillychic

I agree with the poster who says to eat breakfast. They say it's the most important meal of the day for a reason. Are you not hungry, or do you just not have time? I always wake up ready to eat. hehehehe

Im just never hungry when i first wake up, i dont get hungry for about 4 hours after waking up... but if it will help i guess ill have to force myself to eat :P

Im one of the people that think when you eat is just as important as what you eat and how many calories you have. I know I know most people comment that as long as you are intaking the proper calories compared to how much you burn it doesn't matter when you have them but I really believe without spreading out the intake of the calories throughout the day and in the proper proportions your body will not turn up the metabolism but acually turn it down because it wants to store the calories since it is not getting them in a regular supply. So eat you breakfast as soon as you get up to get that metabolism going and then eat every 3 hours after that and I think you will see a drop in weight. And dont think you are only having 1500, find out the truth because they can add up pretty quickly if your not careful. And keep training and mix it up, cardio, strength and circuit training. Good luck

No way you are eating 1000-1500 cal a day at 95kgs(209lbs), do cardio everyday, and not losing weight. If anything, you should lose fast.

Not sure, it was a guess because i really dont eat alot and i havent been counting my calories at all, so i just guessed it would have bee 1000-1500... could be completely wrong though like OCVeloMan mentioned when he actually started counting his calories his were way above what he though, but like i said ive downloaded a app for my phone to help me keep track of that stuff now and see how that goes.

Ive also attached a picture of the results of my CT scan for my wrist if anyone is interested